Pusher rod throw adjuster for underfeed stokers



Oct. 14. 1924- J. F. BARRY FL SHER ROD THROW ADJUSTER FOR UNDERFFIED STOKERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 18 1921 Get, 14 v 1924.

J. F. BARRY PUsHER ROD THROW ADJUSTER FOR UNDERFEE D STOKERS Filed July 18 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 14, 1924.

JOHN FRAiNCIS BARRY, F PALOS STOKER COMPANY OF AMERICA, V JERSEY.

PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNDERFEED or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or NEW PUSHER ROD THROW ADJUSTER EOR UNDERFEED STOKERS.

Application filed July 18, 1921. Serial No. 485,775.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, J OHNF. BARRY, a cltizen of the United States, residing at Palos' Park, in the county of Cook and State of I Illinois, have invented certain new and use-- ful Improvements in Pusher Rod Throw Adjusters for Underfeed Stokers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for varying the throw of a pusher-rod for an underfeed stoker, and has for its general object to provide simple,.rugged and effective means operatable by an easily accessible handle for varying the pusher-rod throw. To these ends myinvention consists in the features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated a single embodiment of my invention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of pertinent fragments of an underfeed stoker construction embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view with parts broken away; Fig. 3 5 is a side elevationwith the parts in section; Fig. 4 is a section on line i -45 of Fig; 3; and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5'5 of Fig. 3. In underfeed stoker construction it is common practice to have a longitudinal re tort 10 supplied with fuel from a throat 11 that opens endwise thereto and that itself receives fuel from a hopper (not shown) through a top opening 12, the feed being effected by a reciprocating feed-member, which includes a rain or plunger 13 reciprocating in the cylinder 14 that aligns with the throat-opening 11, the ram being connected by piston rod 15 with a piston in the steam cylinder 16. It will be understood that general provision of this character is very com mon although in detail the constructions may differ widely from the specific form shown.

Also it is common practice to provide in the stoker a pusher-rod 17 extending into the retort from the feed end and equipped with one or more pusher-blocks 18 of suitable form. Such a pusher-rod is quite commonly reciprocated by the feed member, as through suitable connection with the ram 13 which may, to this end, carry a downwardly extending lug 19 working in a slot 20 in the bottom of cylinder 14 and forming the portion of the feed-member which is operatively associated with the pusher-rod 17 to reciprocatethe latte-r. It is common, also, in this type of construction, to give the lug or arm 19 a lost-motion rod 17 in some fashion that -will permit variation of the amount of lost-motionallowed, so that the pusher-rod 17 may be caused to take different lengths of effective movement from zero to full-stroke-length of the ram. Means for effecting such lost-motion adjustment have usually taken forms requiring that in order to vary the setting the operator shall have direct hand-access to the pusherrod or the ram-carried lug as, for example, in order to adjust stop-blocks longitudinally along the pusher-rod and when it is understood that these throw-adjustments for the pusher-rod may need to be frequently varied for best operation of the stoker and varied,

while the stoker is in full operation, it will be appreciated that mechanism for more facile adjustment is highly desirable. Also, when the fact is understood that in many installations the rams are very close together and of large size, as in heavy-duty installations, so that direct access to the point of cooperation between the pusher-rod and ram-lu is both diflicult and dangerous, the desirability that now and long since has existed for providing readily accessible means to control the adjustment at such inaccessible points will be realized. An embodiment of my invention, which satisfies these desiderata, I will-now describe in detail.

The rear end of pusher-rod 17 is flattened to provide a bearing surface for a pivoted adjusting-stop and is provided with a retraction-stop that cooperates with ram-lug 19 to cause the rod invariably to be retracted to the same position whether its forward throw be-great or little. Specifically, the

connection with the pusher rod has bolted to its rear end flat extension plates 22, 22, forming sides of a yoke closed at its rear end by the retraction-stop 23 and receiving the ram-lug 19 in the vertical slot 24, this slot' being preferably substantially equal in length to the range .of travel of ram-lug 19. The flat tops of the bars 22, 22' form a guide surface for the adjustable stop 25 which is pivoted at its forward end, as at 25', upon the solid block-portion of the pusher-rod structure, which is formed where the squared extremity 17 of the rod proper is bolted to the extension plates. This stop is provided with a suitable seriesof steps 26 tion of the link 35 and the height of slot 34 the treads or receptive surfaces of which accommodates the verticahdlspleeement of I may respectively be brought into register bail-bar 33 incident to its pivotalmovement. with the slot 24 by .pivotally swinging the While I have herein described in some do- 5 stop structure, thereby leaving a greater or tail a-particular embodiment of my inven- 7 less portion of the slot 24 open to permit of tion for purposes-of disclosure, it Wlll be lost-motion between the ram and the pusherunderstood that I do not intend thereby to rod since, of course, the ram will travel idly limit my invention to the specific details in one direction along the pusher-rod until shown further than as specified 1n the 10 its lug 19 encounters that step. of stop claims, and that many changes in construcwhich overlies slot 24:. tion may be made without departure from The manner of supporting the yoke-bearthe spirit of the invention within the scope in end of rod 17 maybe varied, but preferof the appended claims. ab y lug 19 carries anti-friction roller means I claim: f

15 27 projecting laterally under the yoke-sides 1. The combinationwith an underfeed- 22, 22 to afford requisite support for the .stoker ram and a pusher-rod to be operated pusher-rod. therefrom, of a part positively movable'by To vibrate the adjustable stop 25 on its said rain, a stop mounted on said rod and pivot and hold it in ad'usted position I movable for interposition inthe path of said i 20 preferably provide a'han -lever 28 exteiadpositively movable part to intercept the lating above the ram and. steam cylinder for ter at different points along the pusher-rod,

easy accessibility, and preferably pivoted to a hand lever movable to several positions,

a fixed support. Such lever I connect to the means for latching. said hand lever in any adjustable stop 25 by means that will not selected one of said positions, and operative- 25 interfere with the reciprocatory' movement connections between said lever and said stop of the adjustable stop but that will maintain for adjustment of the latter by the former constant controlling connection therewith in in any position to which said stop may be a fashion uniform throughout the recipro- -moved with said pusher-rod.

catory travel of the stop. Specifically, the 2. The combination of a reciprocating 30 lever structure 28 includes a handle proper feed member and a reciprocable pushe -rod,

29 and a bail portion 30, preferably made of of multi-steppe'd means carried by one therea continuous piece of rod-stock bent to pro; of adjustable to permit respective ones of its vide portions 31, 31 pivoting in longitudiseveral steps to coact with the other thereof nal alignment in ears 32, 32' that are secured and thereby permit selectively variable lost- 35 to convenient portions of the ram cylinder motion between the feed member and the 14:, such bail including, between and below pusher-rod, an operating lever movable to its pivoted ends, the longitudinal slide-bar several positions corresponding with the re- 33. This baris embraced in the vertical spective steps, and positive operative conslot 34 of a link structure .35 which is p-ivot- .nections between said lever and said stepped '40 ed as at 36 to the free extremity of the admeans constantly conditioned to ad ust said justable stop. This link is preferably forked stepped means for the purpose set forth. to receive the laterally-offset end of the stop 3. The combination with a stoker-ram and 25 and to be carried in horizontal position, lug, and a pusher-rod, of a pivoted, multiand its slotted head is preferably elongated stepped adjustable stop carried by the 45 in the direction of length of the bail-bar 33 pusher rod, a hand lever pivoted to a staso as to give a very substantial bearing for tionary part of the stoker, and positive opthe operation of said. bar. With the handle crating connections between said hand lever portion 29 of the hand-lever there coacts a and said adjustable stop for adjusting said segment 37 secured to some suitable fixed stop in any position to which it may be car- 50 part such as the head of steam cylinder 16 ried by said'pusher rod, thereby 'to interand provided with lever-positioning notches pose any step of said stop in the path of said 38 into which the somewhat resilient leverlug.

rod may be sprung for self-retention in ad-' 4. The combination with a ram and a part just-ed position. positively mo vable thereby, of a pusher rod,

Manifestly, as one throws the hand-lever a rod-retracting stop carried thereby and to the right (Fig. 1) the bail-rod 33 15 arranged in thepath of movement of said thrown to the left, carrying with it the link positively movable part, a stepped rod-adand adjustable stop 25, to change the setvancing stop pivoted on the pusher-rod and ting of said stop for increase of lostrmotion movable to interpo'se any selected step in the 60 between the pusher-rod 17 and the ram-lug path of movement of sad positively mov- 19, while throwing the handle to the extreme able part, an operating lever having a bail left end of its segment 37 minimizes the lostextension that parallels the pusher-rod, and

' motion permitted by the resultant in-s'wingan operative positive connection between ing of e stop 25, The length of the bailsaid bail-extension and said adjustable stop,

55 bar 33 is suflicient to permit full reciprocaadapted to move the latter in any position 3.

5. A structure as defined in claim 4,

wherein said operative connection between t the bail comprises a link mounted on members and having With the other of sai tion permitting relati 10 between said link and extension and the adjustable stop one of said operative connection members, said connecve motion in one plane the latter member.

6. A structure as defined in claim 3, wherein the adjustable stop is pivomd on a vertical axis to the pusher-rod and the 0perative connection between the bail extension and the adjustable stop comprises a vertically slotted part embracing the bail extension and carried by the adjustable stop.

- JOHN FRANCIS BARRY. 

